Recognizing June 27th as the International Day of Deafblindness.
This side-event will spotlight the initiative led by the Permanent Mission of Croatia to the UN, in collaboration with WFDB and a cross-regional group of countries in the UNGA to proclaim June 27th as the International Day of Deafblindness. Persons with deafblindness are among the most marginalized and underrepresented groups globally. Representing between 0.2% and 2% of the population, this diverse yet often overlooked community faces significant socio-economic disadvantages. According to the World Federation of the Deafblind (WFDB), individuals with deafblindness are more likely to live in poverty, experience unemployment, and attain lower levels of education compared to other persons with disabilities. Despite the commitments made under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the 2030 Agenda, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), persons with deafblindness continue to face systemic exclusion. The WFDB 2018 Global Report revealed that many count...